The Bodyguard
by lovecrumb
Summary: A slightly Alternate Universe, in which an injured and insulted Tony Stark must agree to be under the watch of a SHIELD assigned bodygaurd, lest he give up his position in the agency. Enter Steve Rogers, who might just be the only man for the job. M/M
1. Chapter 1

"I DON'T NEED A GOD DAMN BODYGAURD!"

Pepper winced inwardly as she closed the door quietly behind her. She was glad she wasn't in Fury's shoes at the moment, yet she also had no doubt that the man could more than handle Tony's fit of anger.

Granted, Tony was probably taking this as a direct insult to his manhood, or rather, his _iron_hood, and God forbid whoever Tony blamed for that.

The man in question was sitting calmly at his oversized desk watching the child-like display that took place before him with what Tony would later claim to be a look of sadistic pleasure.

"Goddammit Fury, I'm Iron Man!" Tony thumped his arc reactor with his knuckles, as though that explained everything, and glared at the director of SHIELD.

Fury lifted an eyebrow, and when no further statement came from Stark, he leaned back, "If that is all, Stark, I will-"

"-That is _not_ all. C'mon Pep, don't tell me you agree with him?" Tony rounded on the spot that once held Miss Potts. He glared at the empty space for a moment, glanced back at Fury, then looked under the desk, as though she was hiding under there.

"I knew it. I KNEW it! This has Pepper's name all over it. She's been on my ass ever since that fucking day-"

"I can assure you that this was my idea, although she did seem to wholeheartedly approve of the initiative."

"So what, I have no say in the matter? Do I even get to choose my new BFF?"

The term went right over Fury's head, but he nodded, "For once we're on the same page. That is exactly the case: _you have no say_. Either you accept a bodyguard or you _will _resign from this organization."

"It's like goddamn Big Brother in here! As if you haven't already squeezed yourself into every inch of my personal space, now I have to be followed around by a babysitter?"

"So I take it you're resigning? I'll have Coulson retrieve the papers."

"I am NOT resigning you pea-brained, two-faced son of a"-

"-Finish that sentence and believe me, your resignation will be the least of your worries."

The man deflated in front of him. Fury could almost hear a hissing noise as the hot air escaped from Stark's head.

The director waited several moments to see if Stark would try for another death wish, but it seemed the man had finally seen reason.

"We have already narrowed down the list of candidates to someone who has the best overall qualifications. He's a young SHIELD war veteran with security clearance and a pristine record. He's been so kind as to agree to fly in from New York to meet you for a trial run."

"What do you mean, 'trial run?'"

"He might find you insufferable and decide that his highly valued services are put to better use elsewhere. We've given him the option of a trial period to see if he is able to tolerate you."

"_Him_, tolerate _ME_? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"You would think, but no."

Tony muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like: "why do I put up with this shit?"

The Director let that one slip, and continued, "Mr. Rogers arrives tonight, after which I will debrief him and you two can meet the following day."

"Mr. Rogers? As in children's daytime TV Mr. Rogers: the creepy puppet master?" Tony gestured dramatically with his hands.

Fury gave him a look of undiluted disdain and stood up from his desk, "Please leave my office, Stark, I have more urgent matters to attend to than your bruised ego."

Tony huffed in response, turned on his heel and was about to slam the door shut when Fury spoke once more:

"Oh, and Stark?"

Tony looked around and watched hopefully as Fury approached him, "Yeah?"

"Mr. Rogers was _not_ creepy."

The door slam shut in Tony's face.

* * *

Tony Stark had a thing for blonds. Ok, no, that was a lie. He had a _thing_ for redheads, take Pepper, case and point. Blonds, on the other hand, triggered some sort of erogenous zone in his brain that he had no control over.

It was already the next day, and Tony was walking into the meeting room with his heels dragging, wishing he could be anywhere but here. That was, until, he saw the tall blond Adonis that stood silhouetted against the glass window.

The logic centres in Tony's brain shut off in response to the vision, and he stood dumbly in the doorway with his mouth hanging open.

What could have been several minutes later, he finally came to letting out an undignified yelp when the heavenly vision before him was abruptly replaced with the unreadable, ever-creepy face of Coulson very, _very _close to his own.

"Jesus _Christ_!"

At the loudly uttered blasphemy, the Apollonian beauty turned from the window and gazed sternly in his direction.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Coulson just appeared in front of me with that...that face," he gestured at the SHIELD agent, pointing the finger like it was his fault.

Adonis and Coulson looked at one another, and then back at Tony.

He tried to explain himself: "Coulson."

Still nothing.

"He's creepy."

Silence.

"I mean, if anyone just popped up in front of you...and it's Coulson, so it' like ten times the horror. No? Okay then."

Creepy-face spoke, "Let's move on." He pulled out a chair for the handsome stranger, then sat down next to him, leaving Tony floundering in the doorway. "Formal introductions aren't necessary. Mr. Rogers has already read your file, and this is more of a courtesy than an obligation."

Oh, right. The light bulb flickered to life in his brain and he chastised his mind for not clueing in sooner. Apparently his mouth wasn't on the same wavelength.

'What?"

Coulson just gazed at him with that ever-neutral expression of his and replied in the simplest way he could, "Sit."

Tony sat.

"Mr. Rogers has volunteered his time for the next ten days to be your bodyguard. If he finds the job to his satisfaction, and less importantly, if you are pleased with his work, he will move here for a more permanent stay."

Tony leaned forward, put on his most charming smile and gazed at Mr. Rogers, "I'm sure you'll find your stay here...very satisfactory." He added a wink for good measure.

The man stared at him in response, confusion knit in his brow.

"If you don't mind, Mr. Rogers," Tony continued, "I much prefer to be on a first name basis with my colleagues." He looked down to the man's lips, waiting to hear him speak for the first time.

Those lips moved: "Excuse me, but didn't you call Agent Coulson by his surname just a moment ago?"

Oh yes, that was a nice voice. Very nice indeed. _Listen to his words, Tony, _his mind supplied.

He cleared his throat, "there are always a few exceptions, besides, Coulson is not what I would like to consider a colleague, isn't that right Coulson?"

The agent looked at him, "The feeling is mutual Mr. Stark."

"See? He doesn't mind at all. He's great, very reliable."

Mr. Rogers looked sideways at Agent Coulson and replied reluctantly (though Tony didn't notice this of course), "My name is Steven."

Tony beamed, "Steve it is! You can call me Tony. Only my father used to call me Anthony when he was pissed off with me, so I'd rather avoid those wonderful childhood memories, please and thank you." He looked down as his pager buzzed, then back towards Coulson, "I need to get to an urgent meeting- the copter is here to pick me up." He stood up, roughly pushing in the chair so it hit the table and spilled some of the courtesy water he hadn't bothered to drink. He walked briskly toward the door, but before he could open it, he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

Coulson spoke, "Thank you Mr. Rogers. I'll let you accompany Mr. Stark to his meeting. I'm sure he won't mind giving you the window seat in his helicopter."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony spent the ride sulking in the back seat of his helicopter, listening as Happy and Steve hit it off and completely ignored the disgruntled billionaire sitting behind them. Tony played with his phone, ignoring the six messages Pepper left for him in the span of only seven minutes. He spent the rest of the short ride, watching Steve talk animatedly to Happy, something about a funny story involving helicopters, but Tony couldn't be assed to really listen to the words; every time Steve would smile, even as he was talking, a dimple would form at the side of his mouth that Tony found incomprehensibly adorable.

He felt the helicopter begin its short decent to a building on the outskirts of LA. The helicopter had barely touched down when Tony was already hauling open the door and jumping onto the landing pad, his hair flying every which way, grabbing a shiny red briefcase from under the passenger seat where Steve sat.

"Do you want me to wait, Tony?" Happy called out to him, over the noise.

"Nah, I'll be here all day. Take the rest of the day off, and we'll let Steve worry about what to do with me after I'm done here."

"Whatever floats your boat, boss!"

Tony watched unabashedly as Steve got out of the passenger seat, appreciating how the wind was giving him hints of the sculpted body that hid underneath the plain suit. His wandering eyes stopped at the gun holster peeking out from under Steve's jacket. He saw the blond take out the gun, double-checking the ammo and that the pistol was on neutral.

Tony shouted at him over the noise of the helicopter taking off, "I don't think you'll be needing that here!" He gestured at the floor of the roof, where they were standing next to a landing pad that held a giant red cross.

Steve shook his head, yelling back, "I'd rather not, Mr. Stark, but it's in the contract under Director Fury's orders."

Tony rolled his eyes. He would need to have a word with Fury about the appropriate situations in which to have a gun, let alone a body guard. He swiped a card at the rooftop entrance, and held the door open for Steve, who followed him in and spoke again, now much more quietly, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Stark. I promise I won't use it unless the situation deems it necessary. I prefer hand-to-hand combat anyway. It's what I'm best trained in."

"I guess that explains these bad boys, eh?" Tony shamelessly felt up of one of the blonde's massive biceps.

Steve's arm twitched at his touch and his ears turned noticeably red. He coughed, and indicated at the red briefcase the other man held, "Would you like me to hold that for you, Mr. Stark?"

"It's _Tony. _And yeah,I forgot how heavy it was. I'm designing a lighter model, but in the meantime..." Tony put the case down on the ground with a loud thunk.

"Jeeze, what do you have in here?" Steve asked, as he hoisted the case up. Nothing that small should be so heavy.

Tony grinned at him, "something that makes your presence here entirely moot." He turned and walked briskly toward the elevator, without waiting for Steve to respond.

They got into the elevator, but the doors didn't close behind them. Tony looked at the red scrawl that appeared on the screen above the doors "Maximum weight exceeded."

He grinned up at Steve, who blinked in surprise and his ears turned even redder, "apparently we're too heavy. We can't take the other staff-only elevator so we'll do this the old fashioned way." He strode out of the elevator car, hands in his pockets, whistling a tune Steve couldn't recognize.

Tony chuckled as the blond rushed awkwardly past him in order to open the emergency stairwell door for him. "You're a bodyguard, you don't have to be a gentleman as well. And I'm hardly the damsel in distress type...at least that's what I tell myself."

Steve gave him a small smile, those dimples cropping up again "Just trying to make a good impression."

Tony shook his head and continued his whistling, which echoed down the stairwell. He was actually trying to think about how much the other man could possible weigh. The new "incognito" Iron Man suit couldn't be more than 120 pounds, and he was resting somewhere around 190 himself. A small elevator like that had to carry at least 550_._ Christ, how much more did muscle weigh than fat? Steve must be _packing._

They reached the third floor, and Tony strolled coolly over to the receptionist's desk. "Ah, Shirley, I was hoping it'd be you, doll. Looking as stunning as ever."

Steve eyed the woman skeptically, who couldn't be younger than sixty, and who was rather rotund. A beehive of a hairdo sat atop her head, and her long, manicured nails were holding the latest copy of _Readers Digest._

Shirley tossed aside her magazine and threw her hands up in the air, letting out a girly scream. "Wanda, get your tuckus over here, we have a surprise guest!"

Another elderly woman with a very grumpy looking face wobbled over, and gave an equally girly (yet somewhat gravelly) scream of delight, as the two women rushed out from behind reception and came to press wrinkly kisses against Tony's cheeks.

Shirley gave another screech of delight when she saw Steve, "and another one! To what do we owe this pleasure, to have such handsome company!"

The two women bustled over to Steve and began to examine him, one pinching his cheek, the other groping his arm. He looked over at Tony, who looked back at him with laughter in his eyes. "Shirley, Wanda, meet Steve, my bodyguard."

Wanda spoke up, "Jeeze, why do you have all the luck? He's like a Ken doll."

Shirley spoke over her, "Never mind that! Where can I get one?"

Tony laughed, "Sorry kids, it's only temporary. Stop harassing the poor guy and come back to the one who needs his ego stroked."

"Aww, sorry, Tony, you know you're our guy."

"Yeah, Tony, you don't need to worry. Say, how are you feeling? Shirley and I were so glad to hear you recovered well, but it still sounded like a real mess."

"Ladies, I can assure you, I'm fine. I'm here for the ones that really matter. How's Trevor doing?"

The two women looked sadly at each other the same moment a piercing ringtone sounded through the hallway. It was coming from Steve, who looked down at his side, somewhat flummoxed. He unhooked a chunky black phone from his belt and awkwardly flipped it open, holding it up to his ear, "Uh, hello?"

Tony could hear the furious voice of a woman at the other end, despite how tightly Steve was pressing the cell phone to his ear.

"Uh alright, just a moment please, Miss."

The angry voice continued to shout on the other end, and Steve held the phone far away from himself and passed it to Tony, "It's for you Mr. Stark."

Tony pressed his fingers into his temples and sighed: as soon as they were done here, he was going to have a little "chat" with Steve.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reading this story! I'm basically letting it write itself, and although I was planning on a 10,000 word fic, it's looking like it will be longer hahaha (ie. I've already written 9000). This story is categorized, as you know, under romance and humour, but there will be some angst in the next few chapters. One person left a comment actually hoping for some angst, so here you go!

* * *

"Jesus Christ, Tony, you can't do this to me! I thought you were going to take me more seriously after what happened to you. Why, _why _do you have to make my life so difficult?"

Tony moved away from Steve and lowered his voice, "C'mon, Pepper. You know this has nothing to do with you. I HATE having Fury on my ass all the time. There are just some places that don't need security, press and paparazzi following me inside. I saw a chance for a bit of freedom and I took it."

"But _why _didn't you answer any of my messages?"

"I figured Happy would tell you."

"Happy is supposed to have the week off, Tony." Pepper sighed, and her voice was sad when she continued, "Humour me for a moment, okay? Imagine I was the one who was kidnapped? What if I had almost died? And what if YOU were the one to blame? Because you thought 'what's the harm in letting her have just ONE night to herself?'"

"You _know_ I don't blame you for anything that happened to me, Pepper. If it hadn't been that night, those guys would have found another way to take me, and even more innocent people might have been involved."

"Tony...I know," her voice wavered slightly, "but no matter how many times you tell me that, I still can't forgive myself. And if I let it happen again, I don't know what I'll do."

Tony sat down in a plastic chair and shook his head, "Hey...hey now. I'm sorry, Pep. I wasn't thinking. You're right, I should have told you where I was going, it's just"

you don't trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, don't be an idiot."

"But you don't trust me to keep it to myself, do you? You think I've become so paranoid that you'll never have any privacy. And I can't even blame you for that. I mean, l even encouraged Fury to find you a bodyguard!"

"I tend to forget that you only act in my best interest."

She let out a choked half sob, half laugh, "You DO do that. A lot."

"I know, I know, I'm a selfish bastard. Look, I'll really try, okay? I mean, it'll take a bit of getting used to having the physical incarnation of a Greek God trailing me everywhere, but things could be a lot worse. He could be a total eyesore."

"TONY." Her voice was scolding, but he could still hear a hint of laughter.

"It's the truth! But listen, I'm safe, okay? I'm at my children's hospital. I used to visit these kids all the time before, and I really wanted to come back without any attention this time. I'll be back at the mansion in a few hours, okay?

Pepper sighed again, "Okay...just promise me you'll be safe? And tell your bodyguard that I will kill him if he lets anything happen to you."

Tony chuckled, "I'm pretty sure he's already terrified of you, Pep. Bye, love."

He ended the call and stared at the screen of his phone, feeling like a complete asshole. The truth was, he was probably just as scared as Pepper, but he was the only one dumb enough to act like nothing had changed.

Tony closed his eyes, remembering that night, feeling his stomach lurch just at the thought of it.

It had been a night like any other, but Tony had felt invincible. How long had it been since Whiplash was out of the picture? Only a few months, but that hadn't even mattered. He was practically on top of the world, and the only thing holding him back was his growing involvement with SHIELD.

He had convinced Pepper to let him sneak off, just for a few hours, and he had driven himself to his favourite old pub, where he spent many a joyful evening in his late teens before the attention had shifted from his father to himself. Development in L.A had expanded exponentially during that last two decades, and he hadn't realized that his old haunt now lay in one of the seedier parts of town. He had been overjoyed to find Maurice, the pub manager, inside and doing well despite being in his eighties. Tony had spent the evening reminiscing with Maurice, and Tom, the old barkeep, and he ordered round upon round of drinks for everyone at the bar.

There were very few times in Tony Stark's life where he felt like he could live free from the burden his father had left on his shoulders. Free from the terrible ache he felt when he missed his mother. Free from the sad and horrific things he had witnessed after his parents death. That night, he had allowed himself to go back to a time where his ignorance and naivety had shielded him from the sadness that would soon envelope his life. He forgot about his frustrations, his anger, his disappointments, and just _lived._

But just as the night was drawing to a close, at least half a dozen thugs, armed with assault rifles, had barged their way into the building, shooting Maurice dead, and three others right in front of him. They had made their deal simple amid the screams and shouts that sounded from every direction

"You _don't _come with us, and everyone else in the bar dies."

Tony, who moments before, had pressed the silent panic button he installed on his phone, quickly held his hands above his head, "Easy guys, I'll come with. No one else gets hurt."

He looked down at the now lifeless form of Maurice before a sack was placed over his head, and his body was roughly searched, his phone and wallet tossed. His hands were bound, and then he was being dragged out of the bar, and shoved unceremoniously into a car. The tires screeched as the car took off at full speed, and Tony rolled pathetically over the seats and onto the floor, unable to stop himself with his hands tied. He gave a shout when the car turned at full speed, and his head slammed against something hard and metal. His head throbbing, and tasting blood in his mouth, Tony couldn't keep track of where they were going. Suddenly the car screeched to a halt, and he was grabbed out of the floor of the car and thrown to the ground, his already bleeding head slammed hard into the concrete.

He threw up all over himself before the sack was lifted off his head, but his vision was blurred and spinning. He was dragged over to a wall and he heard, "He's all yours."

A low chuckle, and the clicking of boots against pavement was all he heard before he was kicked roughly in the stomach. He doubled over, wheezing and coughing up blood, and a moment later a cloth was shoved into his mouth he was being lifted up, strong hands gripping his collar.

Tony detected a thick German accent when the man in front of him spoke"I must thank you, Mr. Stark, you have made my job incredibly easy."

The same pair of hands ripped open his undershirt, and, with hardly any warning, Tony's arc reactor was being taken forcibly from his chest.

"Leave him," the cold German voice spoke again.

A moment later, Tony heard the screech of tires as a pair of cars took off, and he was left alone, dying. A moment before he had lost consciousness, he thought he heard sirens in the distance, but then the pain in his chest and the pounding in his head had overwhelmed him.

A firm hand gripped his shoulder, and Tony started, leaping to his feet, his heart beating fast.

But then concerned blue eyes were looking into his, and he remembered where he was.

"Are you okay sir?"

Tony tried his best to smile at Steve, "Yes, I was just distracted by a thought. C'mon, let's go cheer up some amazing kids.

* * *

Steve lay in his bunk, reflecting on one of the most surreal days of his life. He had no idea what to make of Tony Stark. He knew of him before this week, of course, Stark weaponry had been a staple in the military after all. But he held only a vague idea of the man behind the weapons, a man that seemed to think himself above everyone else, and probably for good reason. The files he read about Mr. Stark before taking the job as his bodyguard, seemed to reinforce the idea of an aloof, filthy-rich playboy, but Steve had tried to absorb as little bias as possible. When a man served his country the way Tony did, Steve wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

His first impression of Stark hadn't helped. Much like his file had made clear, the man truly held little respect for authority, and Steve's conversation with Miss. Potts had been revealing to say the least. But the very same man had a children's hospital named after him, and had 'Iron Man' make wacky balloon animals and perform magic tricks to the kids inside. Steve had watched this man spend his entire day, tirelessly making sure that each kid in that building had a smile on their face before he left, with a promise to come back soon. No man, who's every action was self-serving, would have done that.

And boy, did Mr. Stark have a lot of charm, something he envied ever so slightly. Charisma just wafted off of the man, but how much of it was genuine? He seemed to flirt with _everything._ Of course, Steve had little to no idea how to flirt, but his observations of Stark had been overwhelming. He was going to have to get used to the idea of Stark flirting with _him. _At first he had been completely taken aback, but when he saw Stark interact with the hospital staff, and virtually anyone else Stark seemed to like, he realized it was something positive and harmless. Knowing this didn't seem to translate to his body, however, because he could still feel his ears going red just thinking about it. But it was important that Stark continued to like him. As director Fury has said, Steve was not only the best man for the job, he was the _only_ man for the job. And Steve would be damned if he let either of them down.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all! Just popping in for an update before I leave for the day. I can't wait to read your reviews from the previous chapter when I get home!

* * *

After his shower, Tony went down to his lab, completely ignoring his suit, and instead reading the dozens of old science journals his father had left him. Tony knew he had been a complete dick to Pepper these last few days, but he felt excessively moody and irritable and couldn't seem to control himself. He turned to the one man who might understand him: his father.

A wave of nostalgia had slapped him across his face as he took in his father's scribbles and musings. He used to only associate the man with a father who was never there, a father who was drunk and often cruel. Tony had hated him for a long time. Yet, ever since he had uncovered his father's research into the new element Vibranium, Tony began to see his father in a different light. He realized his hatred for Howard Stark was limiting to his work. Here in these journals, his father had written down and played with hundreds of ideas that Tony had never even contemplated. Living in this time of massive technological advancement was ideal for Tony, but he had failed to realize just how much living in a certain generation could massively alter your perspective. His father had been full of ideas about the future of technology, and what he could accomplish when those advancements came. True, some of his ideas were extraordinarily kitschy and could probably end up looking like props from the original Star Trek series, but many were full of potential.

He's been sitting in his lab, reading these journals for about two hours when Jarvis interrupted, "Sir, Mr. Bruce Banner is on the line. Should I let the call through?"

Oh right, the blood test anomaly. Tony pressed his fingers into his tired eyes and nodded. He turned towards one of his computer screens and saw Banner looking grimly at him.

Tony bypassed general courtesy, "Just give me the bad news and get it over with."

"Well, your Potassium levels are still low, Tony, have you been eating the right foods?"

Tony thought about the last time he actually ate and his stomach grumbled loudly when it finally realized he was paying attention to it, "Er..."

"Of course you aren't. You know you have to start eating right. You might have been able to handle your diet before the OP, but now you have to be more careful."

Tony shrugged, feeling like a petulant child but not doing anything to stop it, "What else?"

Bruce sighed, "Well, your ALT/SGPT and CPK enzymes are elevated. That's normal after trauma to the heart, but they shouldn't be so high now that it's been nearly two months. And just like I said last time, you clearly have Anemia and it looks like you haven't done a thing about it. All these problems can go away with the right diet and activity, Tony."

Tony looked away from the screen. "Is that all?"

Bruce sighed again, "I've faxed Pepper your test results. If you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to her. Goodnight Tony." Bruce ended the call without another word.

Tony felt angry all over again. In another lifetime, he could see himself being really good friends with Bruce. He was one of the few who could speak the same language as him, and he was clearly a decent guy, but all the same...

He pushed away from the work table and didn't even bother to put away his father's things before leaving his lab. He sulked up to his room, swallowed down a few aspirin and lay down face first into a pillow, knowing that the next day was going to be just as bad as this one.

* * *

Predictably, it was the next day and Tony felt like shit. He wanted a day to himself to just stay in, order pizza, and draw up crazy ideas with JARVIS.

Nick Fury would have none of it, but what could he do? He was back at headquarters in New York, so it's not like he could march over and force Tony out of his house.

Tony was in the middle of designing a stylish pair of night-vision goggles that could pass as sunglasses, when JARVIS spoke up, "Sir, a Mr. Steve Rogers has let himself into the building using a valid entry code, but my scanners don't recognize his facial signature. Should I let him enter the living space?"

Tony waved Jarvis off, "Go ahead, why not?"

"I can think of several reasons, sir. The first being that your state of undress may render the stranger somewhat repelled. "

Tony looked over at the massive floor length mirror that reflected the room, and he remembered that he hadn't showered or shaved in two days.

"Shit!"

"Indeed, sir."

"Jarvis, lead Steve to the kitchens and stall him for twenty minutes."

Twenty-one minutes later, a freshly groomed, nice-smelling Tony stark strolled casually into the kitchen wearing his sleekest bathrobe. _Oh yeah,_ thought Tony, _you've got this, hot stuff. _

Despite his grand entrance, Steve was facing away from him, leaning against the countertop in front of a pot of tea (where the hell did he find a teapot?) and talking animatedly to Jarvis.

Tony took a moment to take a mental image of Steve's _ass_ in those _**pants**_, before he spoke over Jarvis, "Don't pretend like your stories are interesting, Jarvis."

"On the contrary, sir, I only begin one in the hopes that you will come in and interrupt me before I finish," the AI responded dryly.

"Ohhh, watch the sass."

"I know the way you like it, sir."

Steve watched their interaction with delighted amusement on his face, cracking up at Jarvis' last line. "That's quite the mouth you have on your butler, Mr. Stark."

Tony wanted to say the exact same thing about Steve, but there was such a thing as being _too_ lecherous. Instead he said, "I spend most of my time with robots, I might as well make it interesting for myself." Tony shrugged, playing it off like that kind of genius programming was no biggy.

Steve shook his head, "I'm really amazed. I mean, I knew of artificial intelligence, but this takes it to a whole other level. Jarvis is remarkable."

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers."

Steve grinned, his dimples showing, "You're very welcome, Jarvis."

Tony just looked at Steve. _Well isn't that just the most adorable thing ever_, he thought to himself. He made a note to show Steve some of his more impressive tech later, before he realized that he had probably been staring a Steve in silence for far too long.

The blond didn't seem to notice, however, and instead he gestured toward the counter, where two small cups stood in front of the teapot, "I hope you don't mind, Mr. Stark, but Jarvis said I was welcome to anything in the kitchen, and I couldn't help but notice your amazing store of tea. I actually found my favourite brand and flavour in there, something I haven't been able to find for years now, and I couldn't resist making a pot."

Tony eyed the teapot with trepidation. He was a coffee lover, with a taste for espressos. Pepper had once tried to get him on the tea bandwagon, claiming it was better for him, but the stuff she liked tasted like sewage. He had given tea an extra wide berth after that.

But the fruity aroma wafting from the teapot was already drawing him in, and before he could protest, Steve was pouring him a cup as well.

The liquid was a very light shade of pink, and Tony took a sip, his taste buds lighting up.

Steve must have seen the expression on Tony's face because he smiled again and said, "Its nice isn't it? It's a white tea infused with pomegranate. It's very good for the heart."

Tony looked up at that, his brow creasing. How much did Steve know about his condition? He decided to probe, "How much do you know about me, Steve?"

Steve looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"I can only assume that Fury sent you a file on me before you took the job, and I'm sure that file said some things that don't make me sound like the ideal employer."

Steve set down his tea and took a deep breath. He was going to have to word this carefully. "Well, I was an army captain. I had to know enough about your weaponry in order to help train my soldiers. I was in Afghanistan with my team when you were kidnapped by the terrorist cell and I lead the second search."

Tony looked pained as he shook his head. "This is a problem for me. I hate being known for my weapons legacy. I was so ignorant. I had no idea of corporate responsibility and what could happen if my weapons got into the wrong hands."

Steve held up a hand, "I also know that the United States military had a beef with you. Once you found out about the corruption in your company, you terminated your contract with us. You made my bosses quite angry when you didn't allow us to reproduce your Iron Man suit, not to mention you ruined two fighter jets when you failed to register the suit in our airspace."

Tony grinned slightly, "oops."

Steve suppressed a grin himself, "Needless to say, the army wasn't a fan of you. Me? I have a slightly different view on how things should work. I think firearms are a problem. They've become far too accessible and gun ownership in this country is given too much lenience. Being a soldier used to be a completely different experience. Now, you rarely see the faces of the people you kill. Mass bombing also isn't the answer. I'm for disabling the enemy, not obliterating them. Well, in most cases."

Tony looked at him questioningly, "All this coming from an army Captain?" Tony also wanted to ask how Steve became a captain so young, but he didn't want to get too personal too fast.

Steve grinned, "I'm good at what I do." There was a short stretch of silence before he continued, "When I was offered the job by Director Fury, I was also given your file. It wasn't flattering."

Tony looked down, nodding.

"But, what _**I**_ read, was a man who took control of his life. He held himself accountable for his actions and he decided to make a difference in this world. You may not be a friend to the army, but you are more of a soldier that most of the guys out there. I read about a human being who's made mistakes, and who's brave enough to own up to those mistakes. You're not pretending to be anything you aren't."

Tony was still looking down, his brow furrowed, and Steve felt like he might have said too much. He reached out to put a hand on Tony's shoulder, and at his touch the man looked up. He didn't look angry, he looked grateful.

"Jarvis, send out an order for a year's supply of Steve's favourite tea."

"Yes, sir."

Steve held his hands up, "That's really not necessary Mr. Stark. Besides, I shouldn't be accepting any gifts from you."

Tony shrugged, "Then I'll keep it here. It'll give you more incentive to visit. C'mon, I'll show you around the place.

* * *

Notes:

In reference to the scene where Tony stalls Steve so he can beautify himself, It might seem a bit out of character for him to be so worried about his appearance, especially when he's so caught up in his own misery. I mean, the guy rocks sneakers and fan-boy t-shirts when he hits up the Grammy's, so he's pretty casual. But as I was writing this chapter, it occurred to me that Tony is in the process of developing a massive crush on Steve, and he probably hasn't had a crush like this since he was in high school. And when I was in high school and was crushing on someone, I had this compulsive need to make myself look more desirable (and I'm sure many can relate). Sometimes it was unconscious, sometimes it was done with a clear purpose in mind. I imagine that Tony, who's still somewhat emotionally immature, would revert to this kind of behaviour. Besides, it's fun to write a Tony who isn't always in control. I'll probably have Jarvis poke fun at him for it later xD

Oh and all that health lingo? I'm actually taking a nutrition science course, so the info is pretty accurate!

Please let me know what you think! More Stony to come in the next chapters :)


	5. Chapter 5

Just as Tony suspected, Steve had been astounded by the technology in his lab. Tony couldn't get enough of Steve, and how his face seemed to genuinely light up with each new gadget Tony showed him. It was almost like he came from a different time, when none of this technology could have ever existed.

And man, Steve's reaction was priceless when he saw Tony's car collection. He practically drooled over the 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster. Tony finally pried the blond away from the car to show Steve his amazing collection of vintage rock albums in his music study, but when they passed the hallway that led to the indoor pool, Steve slowed to a stop, "What's down there?"

"Oh just, you know, your average gym, rec room, that kind of stuff. Boring."

"I'd like to see it, if you don't mind. The S.H.I.E.L.D. gymnasium here in LA is surprisingly lacking."

Tony hesitated. He didn't want to be reminded of his weak condition right now, not when he was feeling so good. But one glance at Steve's hopeful expression and he nodded. He led Steve down the chlorine-smelling hallway to the glass doors that entered onto a swimming pool just under half the size of an Olympic standard. They walked through to another set of glass doors that held the sparring center and basic gym gear.

Tony glared at the boxing ring where Happy had easily taken him out when Steve spoke, "This is great! Why don't we stay here for a bit?"

Back in the lab, Tony had admitted to Steve that he just wanted to spend the day inside, and Steve had agreed that they should, despite Fury's orders (winning a few more points in Tony's good books). Tony nodded minutely, "I'll just get changed. Do you need some clothes to borrow?"

"Nah, I'll just take off my tie and jacket. I don't want to get too worked up."

Tony walked to the changing room, grabbing a tank top, running shoes and a pair of shorts. He sat, tying his shoes for far too long. The thought of Steve in an undershirt got him moving again, and he walked slowly back out into the gym, feeling unaccustomed to the lack of confidence he felt.

But he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Steve, punching away at a 300 pound bag like it weighed less than a hundred. Those arms. THOSE ARMS_._ _THOSE GOD DAMN __**ARMS.**_

Suddenly, Tony was faced with a new problem, and little Tony was not cooperating. He took a few steps back, hiding himself from Steve's view, and leaned against the wall, willing himself to calm down. What was it about this guy? He thought Pepper had been the only exception, but Steve made him feel completely unsure of himself, not to mention the uncontrollable arousal. Tony's own mind countered: _Did you see those arms? Who can blame you?_

Tony shook his head and then gave himself a light slap on the cheek, "Shut up, you." He jogged on the spot for a minute, stalling, before he made his way back out to the gym.

Steve stopped when Tony approached, and he held the bag still to stop it from swaying like a pendulum. "You alright, Mr. Stark?"

Tony took in the light sheen on Steve's face, his once neatly coifed hair now tumbling down over his eyes. His voice cracked, "Yes. Yep, I'm fine. Dandy, even."

"No offense, sir, but you're not a very good liar."

Tony might have been surprised by this statement because usually he was very good at hiding his emotions, but this man seemed to have a way of opening him up that he wasn't entirely comfortable with. Tony tried to adlib, "Just a little dismayed by the fact that you don't seem the least bit winded after beating the crap out of that punching bag."

Steve grinned, "Like I said, I'm good at what I do. But you're not getting off that easy."

Tony wanted to slap himself again. Why wasn't he able to control himself around this guy? Steve must be reading him like an open book.

The look of genuine concern Steve was giving him did something strange to his insides, and he went to sit down on the steps leading up to the boxing ring before he spoke up, "I'm just frustrated...and embarrassed. This used to be one of my favourite places in the house, but now..."

Steve sat down next to him, and Tony could smell a subtle cologne and light musk that had him distracted all over again.

He shook his head, continuing, "But now it's just a reminder of everything that needs to be done."

Steve probed, "Like what?"

Tony sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "After my surgery, I just didn't bounce back like I expected. I mean, I'm not in a lot of pain or anything, but I hardly have any strength left in me. I can barely function in my suit, and I hate it." He paused, feeling like an idiot. Here he was, complaining to a guy who's probably seen hundreds of comrades die or lose their minds in the war. "You know what? Forget I ever said anything." He tried to stand up, avoiding Steve's gaze, but the other man reached out, holding him from going any farther.

"Hey now, listen. There's no judgement going on here. I mean, please let me know if I'm overstepping your boundaries. I would like to help if I can, though."

Tony rested in Steve's grip, feeling warm inside but now for a different reason. He settled back, facing the other man, "Please, you're not overstepping any boundaries. If anyone is, it's me."

Steve just sat there, a warm, open expression on his face that made Tony want to spill his soul to the guy, so he trudged on, "It's just...those guys who did this to me? They're still out there. It makes me feel more vulnerable than I've ever felt in my life, even when I was stuck in that cave. I mean, _fuck, _I haven't even been able to recover all my old weapons off of the black market, and now these guys? They have the _arc reactor_. And it's my fault that they have it too! They could destroy the entire city once they figure out how to harness the energy properly. I put everyone in this mess because I was an irresponsible jag off, and now I can't do a thing about it. To top it off, me and Pepper haven't been doing so well, and she has every right to be angry with me. Everything feels beyond my control and I don't even know where to begin."

"Well you're wrong about one thing, Mr. Stark. It's completely within your power to get better."

Tony looked up at Steve with doubt written over his features, and Steve continued, "You were trapped in that cave in Afghanistan, knowing you faced certain death if you failed, and that your weapons might be used against your home country. You had a giant magnet attached to your chest because without it, you would die. And against all odds, what did you do? You built this." Steve tapped on his arc reactor, "you built this amazing device that not only kept you alive, but allowed you to escape and build a suit that would help you change the world. And I'm guessing that you came out of that experience a hell of a lot more decent and knowledgeable than when you went in."

Tony looked up at Steve, a sad smile on his face, but he was nodding in agreement so Steve continued, "You were trapped there for almost two months, and despite almost everything working against you, you managed to make it out a better and stronger person. And you might never have created the Iron Man suit if you hadn't gone through that experience! Why can't this experience be the same? It's been almost two months since your operation. Why not see it as another opportunity instead of a set back? And this time you're in the comfort of your own home with the people who care about you and can help you."

Tony had his eyes trained on Steve, "You're right."

"And Mr. Stark, if you're having problems getting back in shape, I would be glad to help."

Tony smiled as he stood up and held out his hand to Steve, "Captain, you've got yourself a deal."

Steve shook his hand, a smile spreading over his face.


	6. Chapter 6

It was six in the morning when Pepper entered the mansion, "Jarvis, where's Tony?"

"In his lab, Miss Potts."

She frowned, "I hope that's a good sign."

"I think you will find that it is."

Pepper walked briskly to the stairs that led to Tony's lab, entering the code at the glass doors, feeling them vibrate to the cacophony of noise taking place on the other side.

Tony was blasting ZZ Top, singing along to the words of "Sharp Dressed Man" at the top of his lungs and dreadfully off-key. She saw that he was wearing a thick set of noise-canceling headphones, and she strode up to him, yanking them off his head.

Tony shouted and spun around, covering his ears against the onslaught of noise, "Jarvis! Music, down!"

The music faded and Pepper spoke, "Your logic baffles me."

Tony shrugged and tossed the headphones onto the nearest table, where some sort of laser mechanism was blinking at them, "I need to block the noise of my tech, but I still want to listen to my tunes. Hence, the phones."

"Uh-huh." Pepper lifted one eyebrow and grinned, "Well, you look normal, Tony."

Tony swatted at Dummy, who was trying to give him the same pair of headphones he had just taken off, and then shrugged again.

Pepper decided on a different course of action, "So, how's it going with the bodyguard?" She couldn't help but notice the way Tony fidgeted uncomfortably and a small grin briefly quirked his lips. "That good, huh?"

He grinned fully and mischievously this time, "We've had wild, passionate animal sex so many times I can barely walk."

Pepper smiled, happy to see Tony's sense of humor make an appearance, "I'm just glad to see you looking like your usual self again." There was a pause, where they both shifted, waiting for the other to speak.

They opened their mouths at the same time, Tony blurting: "I wanted to apologize," and Pepper questioning: "Can I ask you something?"

They both looked taken aback.

"You wanted to apologize?"

Tony slouched against the desk behind him, then thought better of it and stood up straight. He picked up a laser pointer and clicked it a couple of times, tossing it up in the air a few feet and catching it.

"Out with it, Tony."

He briefly looked her in the eye, then focused on a point past her shoulder, "I've been a dick. You don't deserve that, and I'm sorry."

She nodded, "You have been, but you also have every right to be angry with me."

"What?" Tony looked at her in bafflement, "No I don't."

"You're not angry with me?"

"No! I was just misplacing my frustration on you. Like I said, I was being a dick."

Pepper gave a small smile, "Well, all is forgiven."

Tony grinned peevishly, "And I forgive you, for whatever sinful thing you did."

Pepper hesitated, not wanting to ruin the moment, but then she decided to go ahead, handing a small file to Tony, "Just...look at these, okay? Please?"

Tony flicked open the file, then closed it a second later, looking down at her with his mouth slightly pinched, "I will."

She smiled and gripped his hand briefly in hers, "Thank you."

She left him to it, letting herself out of the lab and heading to the kitchen to get something decent to eat before leaving. She didn't see Tony glare down at the medical file of his condition and toss it onto a work bench, where the folder lay open, the pages scattered.

* * *

It was a couple of hours later and Steve was entering the security code that Tony had given him to his lab. Tony glanced at one of the monitors, and called over his shoulder to Steve, "I'm just finishing up here, I'll be another minute, then we can head down to the gym."

Steve nodded and then walked slowly around Tony's lab, taking in all the fascinating technology and gear that he would never get tired of looking at. His eyes were caught by a blinking laser machine and he walked over to see what it was. What he saw instead was a file, half-hazardly tossed on the work bench, with a few papers strewn on the floor. Steve bent down to pick up the documents lying on the ground, worrying they would get lost if they were left there, but his keen eyes noticed the information printed on the page. He glanced over at Tony, who was still tinkering away, then turned back to the papers, not understanding why he was so willing to violate the other mans privacy. He used his speed-reading skills to quickly take in the most important information, then he stacked the papers and tucked them neatly into the folder, placing it back on the bench.

Steve's frown had grown as he read through Tony's file. The man was more sick than he led on, and he was only making himself sicker. He needed more than exercise to get back into shape.

A loud clang made him turn around. Tony had tossed some sort of wrench onto a table that was pilled with what looked like scrap metal, and then he was taking off his goggles, shaking out his sweaty hair almost like a dog. Steve had a strange moment, where he was caught staring at a man who he had once seen as all-powerful and dominating in every sense of the word. But the man standing before him was vulnerable and lonely and so different from what Steve could have ever imagined. He could feel his strong, protective instincts kicking into gear, and before he knew what he was doing, he was reaching out and ruffling Tony's hair. Tony looked up at him with large, brown eyes, giving him a huge grin that had Steve grinning back, his dimples showing.

The two of them left the lab and headed towards the gym in silence. It was only then that Steve realized he had acted overly familiar to Tony, and he was left wondering why, after only four days of knowing the man, he didn't think that was strange at all.

He blurted out, blushing slightly in embarrassment, "Can I call you Tony?"

Tony gave him a look like he was crazy, " I've been trying to get you to do that since we met."

Steve looked at him, his eyes still overly questioning, and Tony sighed, chuckling, "Okay, you need a direct order? I not only give you permission, I command you to call me Tony. That's an order, Captain."

Steve grinned again, quipping, "Yes Sir."

* * *

Notes: I'm worried that the end of this chapter is overly corny. Please let me know what you think and I'll adjust it accordingly!

And perhaps Tony's statement about the animal sex is a foreshadowing of sorts? *evil grin*


	7. Chapter 7

I saw Game of Shadows for the first time this weekend and I couldn't help but be inspired by all the BLATANT DISPLAYS OF HOMOSEXUAL TENSION. Good god, they were really pandering to the fandom weren't they? And I have absolutely no problem with that XD So you might notice a slight similarity between part of this chapter and a particular train scene from the film.

Oh, and happy belated Canada Day! I wanted to post this yesterday as a treat, but I was out enjoying the fireworks and festivities instead. It may be well over a week before the next update, as I have a massive term paper due in my difficult political science class. Then again, knowing me, I'll probably procrastinate writing the paper to such an extent that I'll have pumped out three more chapters instead of doing my homework. In fact, this very chapter and the one before it were both written in a document titled "Nutrition essay 2" LOLLL. Suffice it to say, approximately 900 of the 4500 words in that document were the actual essay.

* * *

They stood facing each other in the boxing ring.

"C'mon, I want to see what you've got," Steve grinned at Tony, his arms in position.

"We've already established that I'm weak. What's the point of this?" Tony was having a difficult time keeping his eyes away from Steve's bulging arms. Not only were they the sexiest arms Tony had ever seen, he was also afraid that he would break his hand trying to punch one.

Steve had started him out with some easy cardio work that had Tony huffing and puffing more than he would ever like to admit. Since his operation, Tony had been in complete denial about his condition, and instead of confronting it head on, he had simply avoided his regular jogs with Pepper and focused instead on things that hopefully wouldn't have his heart beating a mile an hour. But Steve had seen right through his suggestion of starting out with some weights, and made him face the dreaded treadmill.

Steve replied, "I need to see where you excel and where you need work, even in your current condition." Tony didn't look convinced, so Steve folded his arms over his chest, leaning slightly against the wires, "I also want to make sure I push you just the right amount, and to do that I need to know what level you're at."

Tony took that opportunity to make his move. He ran, yelling, towards Steve and he saw the other man's eyes widen in surprise. The fleeting moment of _haha, I've got you now_ _Steve _turned into _what the fuck am I doing!_ and before Tony knew it, he was pinned to the ground with just one of those amazing, strong arms holding him down. Steve looked down at him, smirking, "No playing dirty, now."

Tony wanted to make an exceedingly lecherous comment, but he found the wind was knocked out of him. He shook his head and blinked a few times, grabbing Steve's arm and kicking with his legs.

Steve pinned both of Tony's hands to his chest and hovered over him, "This isn't supposed to be a wrestling match, Tony, I just wanted to assess your strength."

But Tony's pride would have none of it: "Assess THIS!" And he knee'd Steve right in the kidney's.

"Ooph," Steve moved forward with the impact, just enough to give Tony leverage with his legs. But once again, Steve was one step ahead of him, "It's gonna be like that, huh?"

Suddenly, Steve's strength was over him, and he was pressed down against Tony, with one of Tony's legs over his shoulder and pushing into Tony's ribcage. Tony attempted to alleviate the uncomfortable pressure, and somehow got his other leg hooked around Steve's shoulder in much the same fashion. Steve's breath was steady, while Tony was panting, but his body clued in faster than his brain when he realized their position. Steve's warm breath against his neck was just too much stimulation at once and he realized if he didn't get out of his hold quickly, he's have an embarrassing matter on his hands.

Tony's voice was much more panicked than he intended it to be when he spoke, "Off! Get off!"

Steve quickly let go of him and stood back, with concern written over his features. Thinking the other man was winded, Steve helped him into a sitting position.

Tony hunched over himself, turning away from Steve to hide the evidence of his reaction.

_Well then_, he thought.

Tony had no idea that getting held down by Steve and being turned into a human pretzel would do that to him (though he should have, really). He couldn't stop the massive blush quickly covering his whole body. Yeah, it was embarrassing, but Tony would usually make some sort of perverted joke and get over it pretty quickly. But this? It was like some deep, hidden desire had finally surfaced, and he hadn't felt this aroused this quickly since...god he couldn't even think of the last time. The thought of Steve holding him down like that, with Tony completely at his mercy, was more than his poor brain could handle today.

He must have looked as strange as he felt because Steve knelt down behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, offering a water bottle with the other. The proximity of the other man sent buzzers off in Tony's brain and the hair on his neck stood on end. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and his heart beat even faster.

Steve spoke, but Tony could hardly pay attention to the words, "I think I pushed you too hard. I thought you could handle it, but I must have gone too quickly, huh?"

You can imagine what Tony heard. His mind quickly supplied three possible actions:

Flee

Make shit up and then flee

Jump Steve and have your way with him

His mouth chose unlisted option number four and he made a sort of groaning noise that didn't sound at all like words. He grabbed the water and chugged it down, hoping to prevent more stupid from coming out of his mouth.

"Do you need me to call medical, Tony?"

Tony spat out some of the water, "No! No. I'm just...not used to the adrenaline rush anymore and I felt strange for a moment, but I'm fine, really." The last thing he wanted right now was Banner poking and prodding him and telling Tony "I told you so."

Steve took him at his word, nodding, "Okay, well how about, when you're ready, we try this again? For real this time, no horsing around. And then we're going to upstairs for the rest of your training."

Tony had no idea 'training upstairs' meant and his mind flitted briefly to _the bedroom _before he mentally slapped himself and focused on the task at hand, not wanting to have an embarrassing adolescent moment all over again.

Steve had him punch and kick into small bag of sand that he held steady, to measure Tony's strength, resistance and recoil, and had him working at it for well over 40 minutes before he let Tony rest.

Steve refilled Tony's water and handed it to him, "drink up and have a shower. I'll meet you in the kitchen, okay?"

Tony just nodded, unable to say anything through his panting, and he practically worshipped the icy water that rained down on him during his shower several minutes later. Fortunately for him, he was too exhausted to even think about Steve's glorious arms while he was washing up. After relaxing in the sauna for twenty minutes, he felt a satisfying sense of tired contentment and he lazily made his way into the kitchen and sat on a stool by the island. Steve set down two plates on the counter and sat across from Tony, who looked down blearily at the strange-looking (and massive) sandwich sitting in front of him.

"Eat up," said Steve, who was already digging into his own.

Tony poked at the bread and peered underneath it to see what things Steve was trying to get him to eat. He saw what looked like at least half an avocado, tomatoes, turkey, greens and about half a dozen other ingredients packed in there. "Yeesh, I'll have to actually pick out the menu for the chef next month. This ain't cutting it."

Steve looked up at him, his mouth completely filled with sandwich, of which half was already eaten, "I ade id."

Tony lifted an eyebrow and grinned at Steve's lack of decorum, "Wanna try that again?"

The blond gave a massive swallow and said again, "I made it."

Tony's other eyebrow was now raised and he looked down at the sandwich in a new light, "Hey, maybe I'll like it?" He picked it up (with some difficulty).

"You really don't have to, Tony. Your chef has leftover lasagna in the fridge; I just wanted to make something better for you."

Tony didn't know if Steve meant "healthier" or "tastier" but he was touched either way. He took a big bite out of the sandwich, and found it surprisingly tasty and satisfying. He suddenly found that he was _ravenous _and he gobbled down the rest of the sandwich with probably less decorum than Steve, and his stomach gurgled in appreciation.

Steve just grinned at Tony and the almost childish look of pleasure on his face as he ate, before he remembered the other half of his sandwich waiting in front of him. He ate it much more slowly, taking in the peaceful moment and feeling just as content as Tony looked.

* * *

MORE CHEESE. Just because I can.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the late update guys! I don't like writing filler material so there was a bit of a delay even though I have several future chapters finished. I threw in some more cute!Tony and a bit of foreshadowing to make it interesting. And also that classic line from "Crazy Stupid Love," because it's so true.

* * *

Tony woke up slowly, feeling warm and content, before snuggling further into his massive plush comforter. God, the last time he felt so relaxed, it had been the morning after a long night of vigorous love-making. Tony yawned and stretched languidly, feeling a satisfying ache in his muscles as he recalled the previous day. He smiled, remembering his dinner with Steve, and he flopped over onto his stomach, burying his head into the mattress. His muffled voice called out, "What's the time, Jarvis?"

"Just after noon, Sir."

Tony's spectacularly messy bed-head popped out from under the covers, "Noon!" He hadn't slept this late in...damn he couldn't even remember the last time he even had a proper sleep. He began to struggle out of the sheets when he paused, "You know, what? Wake me up in another hour or two, will ya?" He fell back into the mess of sheets, yawning again.

"I would advise against it, Sir. Mr. Rogers has been waiting for you since his arrival at 9:00 am."

Tony sprang up, his back cricking as he groaned, "Dammit, why didn't you wake me up sooner!"

"I informed Rogers of your whereabouts upon his arrival, and he insisted I let you rest until you woke up on your own. In the meantime, he has been in the gymnasium, waiting for you to join him when you're ready, Sir."

Tony rolled his sore shoulders, not feeling too pleased about the idea of spending the day exercising. He stood up and did a few stretches to warm his body up, and decided against having a shower since he was just going to work up a sweat soon anyway.

"Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes,"

"I already have, Sir."

Tony threw on some exercise gear, and headed downstairs, still waking up after his abnormally long sleep. Passing the kitchen, he grabbed a couple pieces of fruit for breakfast (mostly to appease Steve) and set off toward the gym.

* * *

Meanwhile, Steve had spent the last fifteen minutes in the pool, setting up the lane lines Jarvis said he could find in the storage unit. He swam back and forth across the water, securing the lines and making sure they were straight, and then doing a few laps himself in the cold water. He knew Tony would be pretty sore after they way he pushed him yesterday, so a nice long warm up in the pool would do him some good. Steve hovered in the deep end, blinking some of the irritating chlorine out from his eyes when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the sensation that he was being watched. Steve spun around in the water, his hands already in a combative position despite the setting.

"Woah, easy there soldier, I was just admiring the view."

Steve let out a breath. Of course it was Tony. Despite his six month leave from the army, his fighting reflexes still kicked in whenever they pleased. He swam towards the ladder and heaved himself out of the water, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes. He looked over at Tony, "I take it you've figured out what we're doing today?"

But Tony was staring unabashedly at Steve's body, the banana he was eating hovering in Tony's grip just under his mouth. It looked like he was trying to form words, his jaw moving and no words escaping. Tony finally managed, weakly, "It's like you're photoshopped."

"Er..." Steve just stood there, feeling that damn blush spreading across his face and neck, over being stared at so candidly.

Tony seemed to shake himself out of his reverie, looking from Steve to the pool, " Oh _hell_ no. There's no way I'm taking my shirt off when you're just standing there with...with," he gestured accusingly with his hands, banana peel flapping wildly, "with all of THAT."

Steve sighed, "I really don't care, Tony. This isn't a time for pride."

The other man crossed his arms over his chest, "Of course _you_ can say that, when you have the body of a... well you know. Just no. Nope, not happening." He took a massive bite out of the banana and chewed it with contention.

Steve sighed again, "Look, I understand where you're coming from, I really do."

Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes, but Steve pressed on, "But like I said a few days ago, there's no judgement going on, on my side, Okay? I mean, heck, your body went through an enormous amount of stress recently; I would be shocked if you looked like you were in your prime."

Tony's shoulders slumped a little, "Oh my god. I'm acting like a sixteen year old girl." He looked up at Steve, his expression completely distraught.

Steve lasted one second before he burst out laughing, "I'm glad you said it before I did."

Tony mocked a hurt look on his face, just barely suppressing a grin himself, "You're a cruel man, Steve Rogers."

Steve sobered up slightly, "Look, if it's really a problem, just keep your shirt on."

Tony punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Lemme' get changed, you prick."

Two minutes later, Tony was jogging out in a pair of swim trunks, and Steve had to use all his willpower not to stare at the other man and act like a complete hypocrite. The truth was, even though Steve knew Tony's condition, he still wasn't prepared for the emaciated look of the other man. Compared to the pictures Steve had seen over the years, this Tony Stark looked at least 20 pounds thinner, and that was without considering the fact that muscle was 18% more dense than fat. But what stood out even more than Tony's weight loss, was the piercing blue light of the arc reactor laying in his chest.

Steve stupidly opened his mouth without thinking, "Can you...I mean, is it waterproof?" He grimaced, his blush returning.

"Yeah, I've gotta cover it with a plastic bag every time I shower," Tony said in his most sarcastic tone, "you're kidding me, right?"

Steve was shaking his head, "I'm so sorry, Tony. That was completely...just..I'm sorry!"

He looked like he was on the brink of a full-out panic, and Tony quickly interceded, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder, "It's okay, big guy. Really it's..."

Steve looked up at the hesitation, but then Tony began again, "Holy shit, you're like a _rock." _Tony's other hand came up and he gripped Steve's shoulders, before moving his hands down to his biceps. Steve flexed convulsively and felt goosebumps on the back of his neck. He saw, as though in slow motion, Tony's hands moving towards his pectorals, and Steve tensed. But then Tony seemed to come out of his trance, and his hands fell back to his sides.

Steve blinked a few times, and gulped in air, as though he had been deprived of it for the last two minutes.

"Wow, okay, now _that _was inappropriate. Sorry."

Steve tried to reply, but nothing came out before Tony was talking again, "Scratch that. I'm not sorry, because WOW. But, uh," his eyes searched Steve's, "okay, well I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. Ease up, soldier." He playfully slapped Steve's arm and turned towards the pool, "Seriously though, it's like someone _designed_ you. Genetics sure dealt you a full hand, lucky bastard." He chuckled, and Steve tried to join in with a very forced laugh of his own.

Tony gave him a queer look over his shoulder, then shrugged, "Anchor's aweigh," and he jumped into the pool. The moment his head breached the water's surface as he came up for air, Tony howled. "Son of a _bitch_, that's cold!" He gave Steve what could be interpreted as a suspicious glare, though his mop of wet hair was completely covering his eyes.

Steve gave a real grin, "I thought you could use the wake-up."

Tony brushed his hair from his face and looked accusingly at Steve, "You're a jerk." Then his expression went immediately to a grin, and gave a huge splash with his limbs, showering the other man with icy cool flecks of water, "Now get back in here before I change my mind and go back to bed."


	9. Chapter 9

Hi lovelies! I'm so sorry for the long delay! I had a few weeks of school craziness and then another period of no access to the interwebs or a computer, but I'm back now! I'll be updating both my stories more regularly. As for this story? Time for some good plot-thickening material, methinks.

* * *

Tony was hankering away in his lab. He had been working for the last few days, between his sessions with Steve, on a light-weight version of the iron man suit he could wear on specific occasions. The new suit could also function as a transition piece before he was ready to use his full armor again.

He let his body work at what it was used to, while his mind wandered. He found himself thinking (not unexpectedly) of Steve, noticing the physiological sensations that came alongside thoughts of the other man. He could feel his arc reactor whirring a little faster than it should in order to compensate for his rising heart rate, and his palms began to sweat underneath his protective gloves. Tony couldn't stop the grin from covering his face. He was completely besotted with Steve and he knew it. The man made him feel vulnerable and safe at the same time. Steve had a way of getting Tony to open up that he just couldn't feel comfortable doing with anyone else. Steve was atrociously kind to Tony as well, even when Tony felt like he didn't deserve it. Steve made him feel happy and accepted in a way that no one else ever had done. He had only known the man for nine days, but Tony couldn't help but to trust him.

Tomorrow, the two of them would have a meeting with Fury to ensure that Steve was willing to continue his work as Tony's bodyguard. Steve had given him every indication that he was here for the long haul, and Tony's grin could only widen at the thought.

With his eyes on the work at hand while his mind drifted, he didn't notice the presence of another person in his lab until they were standing right behind him. Tony turned wildly on the spot, brandishing his welding tool like a sword at the intruder.

"Rhodey!" He jumped forward to give the man a bear-like hug, failing to notice his friend's discomfort at have a still-hot welding torch so close to his head.

Tony stood back, chucked off his goggles and gloves and wiped his sweaty hands on his horrendously greasy pants, "I thought you weren't gonna be back until the end of the month!"

Rhodes beckoned Tony towards his makeshift seating area that overlooked his car collection.

"We lucked out and got off eighteen days early. Ours was the only weapons crew left in Iraq after the soldiers were officially sent home last Christmas, and the General finally took some pity on us." Tony just grinned back at him, so happy to see his friend after a long year of separation during which they had had little communication. Rhodes continued, "Pepper had me worried about you. Last I talked to her, you apparently looked like a lost, starving puppy."

"You mean you weren't worried about me before you talked to Pepper? That's way harsh, man. Way harsh. Now you don't get your present."

"Oh shut up you shit-head," said Rhodes, throwing his beret at Tony. "This is the thanks I get for coming directly here after landing back on American soil? I knew I should have gone for that cheeseburger."

"Fuck you, you military snob."

"Oh wait, I forgot to give you _your_ present," Rhodes reach into his back pocket and withdrew nothing but an obscene hand gesture, his middle finger waggling under Tony's nose.

If Pepper were in the room, she'd have already thrown her hands up in resignation at their behaviour, which hadn't changed a spec since they first became friends in high school.

Tony took said finger and attempted to shove it up Rhodey's nose. The power play ended with a finger to the eye and a playful scowl on Rhodey's face while Tony squeezed his watering eyes shut, and waved an invisible surrender flag.

The pair caught up over two of Dummy's monstrous vegetable-fruit smoothies.

"You know, you look really good, Tony. I mean, you're too pale and thin, but you seem happy."

"Uh...thanks?" Tony grinned at his friend, "And might I add that you also look well, minus the bags under your eyes, and is that a bit of grey in your hair?"

"Oh come off it, you know what I mean. I was expecting you to look a bit peaky, but I'm relieved you're happy. What's got you in such high spirits?"

Tony's eyes glazed over as he thought of the wet, mostly naked Steve he'd got to see for the last four days in a row, but he hesitated to tell Rhodey about him. Rhodes would have to be blind to think that Tony only went after women, but truth be told, even Tony never thought he would have such strong feelings towards another man. He never questioned his sexual appetite, but he also never once thought his occasional attraction to men would result in anything other than a sublime blow job or a rare fuck.

"I met someone."

"Does Pepper know?"

Tony was momentarily blindsided by Rhodey's question, but then he realized it was a fair thing to ask. "Oh, well she knows I'm attracted to him, but she probably doesn't think it goes beyond that. Besides, it's not like the feelings are mutual."

"Well you better tell Pepper anyways...and it's a _he_?"

"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are. I just...I didn't think people like him could exist. He's kind of...well, perfect."

"How long has it been going on?"

Tony suddenly felt self-conscious, "Er...about...say...nine days. Approximately."

Rhodey's face twitched as he tried to contain himself and then he barked out a harsh laugh.

Tony was immediately on the defense, "Hey! Hey now, I knew Obidiah for my entire life, and as it turned out, he wanted me dead for most of it. You don't throw around your trust easily after something like that."

Rhodey immediately sobered up, "Cool off, Tony, I know." He looked idly over Tony's car collection and shook his head, "I just want to look out for you when I can."

Tony's glare softened, "We're not in high school anymore, buddy. Besides, I kind of have that covered now."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow in question.

Tony sat back on the loveseat, "This guy I met? Technically, he's my bodyguard."

Rhodey immediately closed his eyes and sighed disparagingly, "Tony..."

"Hear me out. SHIELD assigned him to me after...well you know what happened," Tony waved his hands in the air and moved on, "But this _guy_, Rhodey. I mean..." Tony wavered off, not being able to put his feelings into words.

Rhodes responded dryly, "he sounds like a real catch."

Tony sat up in his seat, "You know, you might have even met him while you were searching for me in Afghanistan. Apparently he led the second search mission."

Rhodey frowned, recalling the day, "Wait, he's in the army?"

"Did I not mention that already? He's actually officially 'retired' from duty, and he's been working with SHIELD on their home turf instead."

Rhodes nodded slowly, "That's right, SHEILD was briefly involved in your search, but..." he frowned again, "from what I recall, they were more of a hindrance to your search than anything. We just wanted to get you back, but they were more concerned about the terrorist group that captured you."

Tony could feel a sinking sensation in his stomach, "What do you mean?"

Rhodes rubbed his hands into his tired face, "I had a lower rank in the military then, so my security clearance wasn't what it is now. All I remember is a bunch of guys coming in calling themselves "SHIELD" and taking over your search. There was talk that they were looking for a connection to a terrorist group they were following at the time, and they didn't want us to interfere in case their suspicions were right. Basically, they told us that if you were still alive, we had to be sure who the terrorists were or else we were only putting your life in further danger. What I remember, is feeling pissed off that they essentially called off your search for twenty-four hours."

Tony shook his head, feeling numb, "No. no, see, that can't be right."

Rhodey shrugged, "Hey man, it's what I remember. But like I said, I had less authority then so I probably didn't know all the facts."

* * *

It was 6am, and Steve stood in Director Fury's office, facing the other man.

Fury spoke slowly, carefully, "We're getting close to Hydra quicker than we thought. It's only a matter of weeks, perhaps even days, if we're efficient. It won't be long before we initiate the plan. Are we understood?"

"Yes, Sir."


	10. Chapter 10

Steve tried to hide his surprise from the director. Before he had taken this job to protect Tony, his intel on Hydra indicated that it would be at least another three weeks before they came out of hiding, if not an entire month. This was too soon. And more than that, Steve had made a promise to Tony, to help the man get better, and he fully intended to keep that promise.

"Anything the matter, soldier?"

Steve hadn't realized he'd been frowning and he looked up at Fury, unable to ease the crease growing between his eyebrows, "I have no problem staying as long as needed to complete the mission, sir. This is Hydra, and you know as well as I do that cleaning up their mess is not just a matter of being 'efficient.' And besides, I hardly think it's reasonable to allow..." Steve swallowed, almost calling Tony by his first name, "to allow Mr. Stark to be included into the plan in his current condition. I really think he needs to recover more fully before we can implement the second part of the mission."

Fury's eyebrows had risen steadily as Steve talked, and now he leaned forward in his chair, fixing his firm gaze on Steve, "We have a fully capable crew of medical experts able to decide whether or not Stark is ready for this task. I have full access to his medical records, and I believe that by the time we need him, he'll be more than ready. And let it also be said that I believe in your rather...unique skills to make sure Stark gets out of this without a scratch on that pretty little face of his."

Steve must have made a face at that statement, because Fury continued even though he didn't have to: "Look, It may not be ideal, but we can't allow Hydra more time than we can afford. Your job might be to protect Stark, but the most vital part of your mission is to take down this sector of Hyrda. Nothing is more important than that, Captain, do I make myself clear?"

Steve couldn't bring himself to meet Fury's eyes when he replied, "Yes, Sir."

* * *

It was the next morning, and Pepper was balancing her cup of tea on top of a stack of files and using her other hand to enter the security code to Tony's lab.

The door beeped and opened for her, and she was immediately aware that something strange was going on...there was no noise.

That couldn't be right, Jarvis had informed her that Tony was down here, and Jarvis couldn't be wrong...

She walked further into the lab, placing the stack of papers on a nearby desk, and peered around the only corner. She saw Tony, sitting hunched in front of a screen, back towards her. Her heart lurched, thinking something was wrong, and she rushed over to him, "Tony!"

But before she could even make it halfway to him, Tony had practically jumped out of his skin and whatever had been on the screen in front of him vanished. He fumbled with something at the desk, then stood up and turned around, his face crimson.

Pepper stopped in her tracks, feeling like an idiot. She had totally just walked in on Tony _again. _After all this time you'd think he'd at least get Jarvis to _warn_ eyed the guilty expression on Tony's face and how the blush was quickly spreading down his neck, which would have been normal on any other person. This, however, was Tony, the man of little shame.

Something was definitely off.

She approached him more slowly, "Is everything all right?"

Tony slouched against the desk, trying to act nonchalant and failing spectacularly. Pepper had never seen the man look so uncomfortable in her entire time of knowing him. What the heck had he been looking at?

As if answering her thoughts, Tony let out a forced chuckle and said, "boys will be boys," trying to brush off his strange behavior on an easy excuse.

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Just answer me this- do I need to be concerned?"

Tony shrugged and scratched his neck, "Nah, no need to worry."

Pepper gave him one more look before moving on, "Well, I just wanted to drop off a few forms and check up on you in person. You doing okay, Tony?" She blew on her tea before taking a sip, but stopped when she saw Tony's face blanch.

"Okay, seriously, what's wrong?"

His reply was completely unexpected, "What...what tea is that?"

She gave him a look like he was crazy and after a few moments of hesitation she answered, "It's white pomegranate." She couldn't even think of what else to say.

Tony ran his hands desperately through his hair and mumbled, "of course it fucking is."

Pepper put her hand on her hip, and gave him a stern look, "do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

Tony grumbled and brushed past her, apparently looking for something, but then he stopped and turned around, heading back to the desk. Tony muttered something under his breath, shaking his head, but then his eyes locked onto Pepper's tea, and he backtracked to the other side of the lab.

Pepper had seen Tony do a lot of strange things in her time working for him, and she almost never questioned the eccentricities of being a genius. But this? This was unlike anything she had ever seen. He was acting completely neurotic and he was afraid of her tea, for God's sake!

She put down the offending drink and slowly followed Tony, who was now sitting down in his vintage Ford roadster, his hands clenching on the steering wheel. Pepper approached the car, and when Tony didn't tell her to stop, she opened the door and sat down beside him in the passenger seat. They sat in silence for several minutes.

Tony surprised her when he was the first to speak, "How do you know when you can trust someone, Pepper?"

She frowned, "How do _I _know?"

Tony nodded.

"Well," she pondered for a moment, "a lot of it is intuition. It's not too difficult for me to get a sense of a person's intent. You need that when you work in this industry." Pepper looked over at him fondly, "like a few days after I first met you. I thought you were an ass, but at least an ass who was a good guy at heart. I knew there was a lot more to you than what you show the public." She gave a small smile, then sighed, "I guess the problem with intuition is that it's easy to block it out. Politeness and good manners are valued when you work for someone, and it's easy to ignore your first impressions and get too involved in the daily grind," she hesitated, "...that's what happened with Obidiah."

Tony turned to face her, "Wait, you knew he was a secret evil villain all this time and you never told me?"

She rolled her eyes and flicked him on the knee. "I know that he made me uncomfortable when I first met him. Whether it was because he was undressing me with his eyes or..."

Tony interrupted, "I would say it wasn't that because I'm pretty sure I did the exact same thing."

Pepper poked him, "You're forgetting that I thought you were an ass when I met you. But there was something about Stane that didn't sit right with me. After I got to know you, and I saw how much of a father figure he was to you, I let myself believe that I was reading into things that weren't there."

Tony thought about his first impression of Steve. He filtered out his immediate attraction to him, and just thought about his feelings. He certainly hadn't felt like a threat to Tony, not at first. He remembered trying to leave Coulson's office but having been forcibly halted by Steve's hand tightly gripping his arm. Tony had disliked being controlled by a person that was a stranger to him. He had also disliked how Steve had brought his gun into the hospital with them, rules be damned. It had been clear that Steve hadn't admired Tony's lack of respect for authority, but he had quickly shown Tony that he could be adaptable and relaxed given the situation.

And after that first day, Steve had been wonderful. Flawless, basically. Tony had absolutely no complaints.

He looked at Pepper, "Besides intuition, is there anything else?"

"Well if they lie to you - "

He interrupted her with a harsh tone, "Yeah, yeah, besides the obvious, what else?"

"Look, Tony, I don't know what it is you're getting at" she replied, getting out of the car, "All I can really tell you is to listen to your gut. And something my mom used to say to me that has never steered me wrong, 'if something is too good to be true, it usually is.'"

She walked briskly away from the car and left his workshop, leaving Tony to think about how perfect Steve was. _Too_ perfect, it seemed.


	11. Chapter 11

So this chapter was actually the first chapter I wrote for this story. Except that the story began to delve a whole lot deeper than I anticipated so I had to re-write this entire chapter. Originally, it had a very drunk Tony almost aggressively hitting on Steve and begging him to do very unsavoury things to him (sexy things). The slamming against the wall part was meant to be Steve's panicked reaction, and it originally left Tony feeling overwhelmingly aroused, yet frightened, by his power. For obvious reasons, this chapter is very different from the original. The very last sentence of this update was the only one left unchanged.

* * *

Steve was standing outside the front entrance to Tony's mansion. He had just entered the security clearance code he'd been using for the last nine days and had received no response. He entered the code again, this time more slowly, making sure he got each number correct.

Still nothing.

"Jarvis?"

There was a moment of silence and then, to Steve's immense relief, he heard the familiar English drawl of the AI's voice.

"Yes, Mr. Rogers?"

"I can't get into the building. Has the security code changed?"

There was another stretch of silence, as though the AI was hesitating, and Steve was now certain that something was wrong.

"Jarvis?"

"It seems as though you are no longer employed by Mr. Stark."

Steve gaped, "What!? I was employed by SHIELD, not by Tony. I don't understand."

"Mr. Stark has terminated his contract with SHIELD. You are, therefore, no longer required to act as his bodyguard."

Steve's mind reeled. He had just been at SHIELD headquarters only forty minutes ago. Wouldn't they have informed him of this? And why didn't Tony tell him yesterday if he was considering leaving SHIELD? What the heck was going on?

"Can I speak to Tony?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, he's not accepting any calls today."

Steve felt his concern grow, "Is he alright? Did something happen?"

"I am monitoring him. He wishes to be left alone."

Jarvis wasn't giving him any straight answers, and he felt himself growing angry. At that same moment, both his pager and his phone began to buzz, and he lifted the latter to his ear. "Rogers."

He winced as he heard Fury's voice on the other line, deceptively calm, "I just received notice of Stark's withdrawal from his contract with SHIELD. What's he saying on your end?"

Steve hesitated, clearing his voice, "He's, uh, not answering the door."

Fury's voice was deadly when he replied, "What do you mean?"

"My security code, Sir, it's not being validated. And his AI is telling me that he's not allowing any visitors today."

"I don't give a flying _fuck _what his AI says. You get into that building, and you find out for yourself what the hell is going on. _That's an order, Captain!"_

"Yes, Sir!"

Steve heard the line disconnect before he closed the phone himself, feeling angry and anxious all at once.

"Let me in Jarvis."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"This is the last time I'll ask you, Jarvis. _Let me in."_

"Mr. Stark has no obligation to communicate with you now that his contract with SHIELD has been terminated. He has clearly expressed his wishes, multiple times, that he does not want to see you, or - "

But JARVIS was cut off when Steve's fist smashed into the intercom, completely destroying it with one swipe of his arm.

He then aimed his frustration at the door, stepping back and giving it a mighty kick. He heard the groan of metal, and he gave another kick. The door gave a massive shudder in its frame. He gave it one more sweeping kick, and the door screeched open, the thick metal locks completely bent back from the frame. If Jarvis was as smart as Steve thought he was, he would disable the other security features in the mansion, or else they would receive the same kind of treatment.

* * *

Tony had been sitting in a recliner in the smallest room of the mansion, swirling brandy around and around in his glass. He was drunk, of that he was sure. Not obscenely drunk, but enough so that his peripheral vision was good and blurry.

He swirled his glass a bit to quickly, the centrifugal force causing some of the liquid to jump out of the glass. He cursed and unsteadily got to his feet. It was at that moment that Jarvis interrupted him:

"Sir, Mr. Roger's is here to see you. He has tried to enter the security code and -"

"Tell him to go to hell! And tell him that I don't have to take orders from him or his little posse anymore because _I quit._ Yeah. That's right, Steve," he pointed accusingly at the imaginary Steve in the room, "_I quit." _

"He seems concerned for your well being."

"I don't care. Don't let him in."

Tony shot back a sizable gulp of brandy and leaned on the bar, pouring another generous helping into his tumbler.

There was a minute or two of silence and Tony felt betrayed by his own mind when he wondered if Steve had just given up without any effort, had let Jarvis order him away without a fight. Like he never even cared about Tony to begin with.

Angrily, he ordered Jarvis to turn up his music a little louder, and was completely taken aback by the reply he got:

"He's broken into the mansion, Sir."

Tony had a moment to feel clever for leaving his lab in favour of his den an hour earlier. At least Steve would have to search for him. The next moment a pounding sounded on the door, and he cursed himself for being so stupid. He had led Steve right to him.

"Jarvis. Music. Off," he barked.

The banging on the thick wooden door continued, "I know you're in there, Tony! Can you please let me in?"

Tony muttered, "just do it, Jarvis," and he heard the hiss of the deadbolts leaving the door unlocked. Steve must have heard it to, for not a second later he was opening the door, his eyes gazing around the room in a mixture of emotions.

Tony had turned himself away from the door, from Steve, because he knew it would weaken his resolve just by looking at the other man. He spoke coldly, "Well, you're here. Say what you've got to say, and get out."

Steve must have connected the dots when he saw the half-empty bottle of brandy and the mostly-empty tumbler because all he said was, "You're drunk."

Tony just laughed harshly at that, "Yeah, no _shit._"

Steve's voice sounded hurt and confused when he replied, "Tony? I don't understand. Why are you...?"

But Steve's playing-dumb act, playing-_innocent _act, just pissed him off even further. He clenched the hand around his tumblr, his knuckles going white, and he barely gritted through his teeth, "Don't you.._don't_. Don't do that."

He heard Steve walking towards him and he felt like screaming, so he did: "Get away from me! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Tony staggered away from the bar, away from Steve, and leaned his forehead on the window that overlooked the sprawling city.

Steve's voice was careful, reasoning, like he was talking to someone who was ready to jump off the roof of a building, trying to persuade them to step away from the edge. "Look, I've only known you for nine days. Clearly something has got you really upset, but I'm only here to help, Tony. I just want to make sure your safe."

Tony finally turned to face Steve, his tone biting, "Yeah, because _that's _always been your priority. Bullshit."

Steve looked as though he hit a nerve so Tony continued, "When were you gonna tell me, huh? That all this has been one giant clusterfuck of a lie. No, Steve, this is clearly **not **about keeping me safe. This is about you, and the bullshit SHIELD has fed you for years and years. You're just one big, walking-talking, bald-faced lie."

Steve took a step forward, one hand moving up in a defensive gesture, "Now hold on a just a second. Just what is it you think you know about me? And where the hell did you get that kind of information?"

Tony gestured to himself, his voice mocking, "Uh _hellllloooo_? Genius here. Not to mention the fact that, if you'd actually done your homework on me, you'd know I have a friends in the army. Yeah, that's right," he continued, seeing the shocked and slightly unsettled look that crossed Steve's features, "I know people. _Everywhere. _And what kind of idiot does SHIELD take me for? How did you guys think you could keep all this from me?"

Now Steve looked angry, "What was the point of telling you? It's not like it would change anything. And frankly, it's not entirely your business."

Tony looked completely flabbergasted at that remark. "What the fuck are you SHIELD people on? Of course it's my fucking business! It's my goddamn safety were talking about. My life!"

"I thought, we _all_ thought, it wouldn't matter either way. But because it's advantageous for both SHIELD and me to keep this under wraps, that's what we did. And to be honest with you, Tony? After getting to know you this past week...a big part of me did want to tell you, because I thought..." he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in a defeated manner, "I thought you really liked me, and that it wouldn't matter to you what my past was."

"Well, you were completely wrong about that, weren't you?" Tony had his arms folded over his chest, and he couldn't even begin to understand the crestfallen expression covering Steve's face, as though Tony had completely and deeply hurt _him, _and not the other way around. Tony strode over to the door and opened it, "I don't ever want to see you here again."

Steve walked slowly towards the doorway, pausing on the threshold to look Tony in the eye, "I'm sorry that this was such a huge problem for you. I really think we could have made a great team."

Tony barked out a harsh laugh."You know what I think? I think you're so full of _shit_, Rogers. I think you've been kissing Fury's ass for so long, you don't even know what's up and what's down anymore. And this whole shtick as my bodguard? Pathetic! Talk about the person _least_ qualified to ensure _my_ safety. Your ass is _so_ fired, and you know what? Just to rub it in your face, I'll go find myself a real bodyguard. Not some freak-ass of an impersonator-"

But before Tony could finish his insult, Steve had him slammed against the wall, his body crushing into Tony's, pining him. In the back-portion of Tony's mind, the part that wasn't terrified about being squashed into a pulp by this muscled beast of a man, he noticed how Steve's eyes were filled with angry tears. Maybe even sad tears.

Steve's voice was low, "You have no right to say that to me, Stark. You have _no right._"

Tony swallowed back the fear and spoke back, his voice hardly wavering as he looked away from those blue eyes, "I said, you're fired."

Steve only pushed back, his weight nearly suffocating. He grabbed Tony's jaw, forcing him to look him in the eye. His voice suddenly turned more dangerous, " _I am your bodyguard._ You go with someone else, you're basically handing yourself over to be slaughtered. You _can't_ fire me. _I won't let you._" He slowly pried himself off of Tony and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

And Tony could only slide down the wall, feeling completely _wrecked._

* * *

Just in case someone didn't catch on, Steve and Tony are arguing about two completely different things, though neither of them knows it. Poor babies. They both have every right to be angry :( At least Tony will find out in the next chapter.

AND OH MY GOD, I had such a hard time NOT putting in the line for JARVIS: "I'm sorry, Steve, I'm afraid I can't do that."  
It's just such a blatantly OBVIOUS place to put a Space Odyssey reference.


	12. Chapter 12

Apologies for the short update! The next one will be longer :)

Steve was sitting on the cold marble floor in one of Tony's many hallways, staring angrily at the door in front of him. He had spent the last hour taking phone calls from a viciously angry Director Fury, who was currently jetting back from New York to resolve the matter in person. Fury had made it abundantly clear that Steve had royally fucked up, and had made their jobs exponentially more difficult.

But the longer Steve sat there, the more confused he felt. Only an hour ago, he had stormed out on Tony, outraged and hurt by the other man. Maybe he was being naive, but he never imagined Tony would have reacted so negatively to the truth. If anything, he thought Tony would be able to relate to his story because, in a way, they had both gone through something similar. They both had bodies that would eventually betray them, and they had both decided to take their destiny into their own hands.

Not to mention, Tony had been drunk when they confronted each other. No man should be taken at their word when under the influence of alcohol, a lesson Steve thought he had already learned the hard way. Apparently not.

He sighed and stood up, feeling increasingly restless. He couldn't just sit here and wait for Fury to arrive, but he also wanted to be here in case Tony felt at all inclined to try and hash things out with him. He thought longingly of the gym that was only two floors beneath him, and his arm's twitched at the thought of expelling some of his pent up energy.

Well he might as well try. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Mr. Rogers?"

Steve sighed in relief. At least Tony wasn't completely shutting him out. "Uh...when Tony's ready to talk to me again...or even when he's ready to leave his room, can you tell him that I'll be in the gym? It's just..." he wrung his hands, feeling like he needed to justify himself, "I don't want to leave things like this. We both deserve to talk to each other once we've calmed down and sobered up. I want to be here if he needs me."

Jarvis' reply was immediate, "I will do as you request."

Steve let out a long breath he didn't know he was holding and gave a shaky smile. "Thank you, Jarvis. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Mr. Rogers." Was there a hint of sympathy in his voice? Whatever it was, Steve felt like if he was making some progress. If Tony's AI could still trust him after breaking into the mansion, maybe Tony could eventually trust him again as well.

Tony watched Steve on a video hologram as he allowed himself to become progressively drunker. The other man had spent the last hour pacing back and forth in front of Tony's den, much of his time spent having angry conversations on his pathetic excuse for a phone.

Tony had gleaned some satisfaction from making Steve so angry, but that satisfaction had quickly worn off when he realized he was stuck in his den unless he wanted to actually face the other man again. Which he most certainly did not.

So he spent the time drinking back the rest of the bottle of brandy, feeling himself grow less and less lucid as each minute passed.

And he had also been trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him he was overlooking something important. The more he drank, the stronger the sensation grew, until finally he was yelling at Jarvis in a horrendously slurred voice, "Jarvis! What am I forgetting?"

Jarvis replied in a scathing, judgmental tone that had Tony both marveling at his own genius and regretting the latest updates he had made to his AI. "Sir, you are forgetting many things. Most predominantly, that you had the intention of remaining sober during your recovery on the behest of Doctor Banner and Miss Potts. Today's schedule was left open with the exception of your meeting with Agent Coulson and Mr. Rogers at 4:00pm."

Tony waved his hand in the air, "Neither of those are important anymore." He looked back at the projection of Steve, who was now sitting with his back to the wall, staring straight at the closed door that separated the two of them.

A sudden thought occurred to Tony. "Pull up the footage of him breaking into the building."

When Jarvis had informed him of Steve's forced entry, he had only a moment to feel shocked before Steve was already banging on the door to his den. The part of his mind that was alway solving problems had briefly wondered how Steve could have managed it so quickly, especially considering the many precautions Tony had against SHIELD tech, not to mention the fact that Steve had never come across as particularly tech-savvy.

Despite having a contract with them, Tony had never fully trusted the agency. He had made it quite clear, before he committed to anything, that he was not going to share his Iron Man or arc reactor tech with them.

He already had the tightest security systems in place in his properties that held anything he valued. It was virtually impossible for anyone to hack into his system, unless the person doing the hacking was Tony himself, or God forbid, it was someone even smarter. Despite this, he had taken further measures against SHIELD-specific technology from gaining any sort of leeway into his system. Any breaking-in had to be done by sheer overwhelming physical force - a feat only attempted once before when three of his homes had been broken into that horrible night over two months ago.

He looked back at the video display when he heard the audio give a terrible mechanical sort of squealing, and felt his jaw drop.

Steve was kicking in his front door. His front door made of titanium-reinforced steel. His front door that weighed almost a ton.

And Steve was kicking it in like it was made of rubber.

He watched, transfixed, as the door finally gave way, the thick metal locks completely bent out of shape. Steve used his bare hands, then, to push the door to the side so it left a space large enough for him to fit through, and then he made his way into the building, looking like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

What.

The Fuck.


	13. Chapter 13

Apologies for the wait, guys. I write fanfiction because its fun, but this chapter was a pain in the ass, let me tell you. Not to mention I had to write a huge essay, so I didn't really feel like writing more frustration-inducing stuff after that. I've literally just been making this story up as I go, and even though I knew the general direction I wanted to take it, I had no idea how to fit the plot together. This chapter attempts to do that. Successfully? Er...I'll leave that up to you.

* * *

Tony was completely _hammered._ The empty bottle of brandy testified.

It was also clearly the only explanation for what he had just seen. Because real-life super-humans just _didn't _exist, okay? Iron man was the closest thing to a superhero, and it was a _machine_ Goddammit. A fucking brilliant machine made and controlled by a brilliant man, of course, but Steve wasn't a machine. He was a human. And no one, not even Tony and _especially _not SHIELD could make a machine _that_ human. No way. The technology for that just didn't exist, period.

"Sir, I'm afraid your state of inebriation cannot account for Mr. Rogers' display of super-human strength. And his vitals read very much like a human. However his resting heart-rate is lower than average, and he appears to have an accelerated cell-division rate, and admittedly my readings on his muscle density are inconclusive," Jarvis answered his musings.

Apparently Tony had been talking out loud again. Oops.

"Stop bullshitting me, Jarvis. And whaddya mean, inconclusive? " he slurred.

Jarvis apparently didn't feel the need to validate that request with a response.

Tony made a drawn-out whiney noise and slumped clumsily to the ground, his back against the bar. "But we did a background thingy on him. If SHIELD had this kind of info on him, we'd've knowwwnnnnn," he drew out the last word in another long whine.

"Perhaps SHIELD would not have allocated Mr. Rogers to the task of being your bodyguard had they not adequately confined the information regarding his condition," the AI suggested.

A thought occurred to Tony, and though it came out in many more words, the gist of it was: "What if they don't know? What if Steve's the one with the secret to hide?"

Jarvis responded immediately, somehow able to understand his garbled speech, "He made it quite clear during your recent argument that SHIELD is well aware of his abilities, despite the fact that only a small number of individuals are privy to that information."

"When did he say that!?"

"I was reading between the lines, Sir."

"Reading between the- Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Tell you what? That you both appeared to be arguing about entirely different issues, or that you were mistaken-"

"The first one!" Tony roared.

"You know that I rarely interfere during your heated arguments with Miss Potts at your request, and considering your growing attachment and involvement with Mr. Rogers, I -"

"Just. Stop." he interrupted angrily.

Tony sat there, thinking scattered thoughts, trying to form any other explanation no matter how far-fetched. He had Jarvis turn his music back on, increasingly unsettled by the silence around him. He hadn't even bothered to check if Steve was still waiting just outside the door. And as much as Tony hated to admit it, he wished Steve was. Despite the alcohol coursing through his system something in his gut was telling him that he could still trust Steve. That, or those enchiliada's he had eaten earlier were doing something funky in his small intestine.

Tony was now fully lying on his back, staring up at the spinning ceiling. He put a hand up as though to hold the ceiling in place, then ordered Jarvis to keep the door to the den unlocked. He had enough lucidity to know that he was going to pass out any minute now, and he wanted Steve to be able to get into the room. Well...get into the room without breaking the door down, apparently. He gave one last look at said door then promptly passed out.

* * *

Steve was in the gym, staring down sheepishly at the punching bag he had almost effortlessly destroyed. He had trained for years to keep his strength in check, to ensure his abilities were kept under wraps. He could count how many times he had lost control without prior authorization on his right hand, and two of those times had occurred in the last ninety minutes. Tony was not good for his track record.

He shook out his hands and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension coiled inside him, but to no avail. He was full of super-human adrenaline and nothing in this gym would truly be able to help him without him destroying it first.

He knew that signing on for this mission, he risked exposing himself to more people, Tony included. He knew that keeping the man safe was more important, not only for Tony himself, but for the security of the entire nation. HYDRA had been working up to this moment for years, if not decades. Steve only had one shot at getting it right, and he needed Tony to make sure he succeeded. But now, after getting to know the man, he felt more and more uncomfortable about leaving Tony in the dark. Not just about Steve's super-human abilities, but about HYDRA - how they had been lurking in the shadows of Tony's life, using their pawns to knock Tony down, bit by bit, until he had no choice but to succumb.

First, it was Tony's parents, murdered, an act that had been so easily covered up as an accident. Planting Stane, years and years before the murder, gaining not only Tony's trust, but the trust of his parents; letting Tony live just so that he could make increasingly powerful killing machines and sell it under the guise of Stark technology while Stane really controlled where it was going; waiting patiently and planning for the moment when Tony was captured in Afghanistan so that Stane could take over the company while raising nary a suspicion. If Tony hadn't escaped the Ten Rings, yet another pawn to the vast, many-headed monster that was HYDRA, they would have succeeded.

SHIELD had been well aware of the organization's interested in the Stark family at that point, and they knew that Tony's disappearance was no coincidence, but almost no one had seen the betrayal of Obidiah Stane coming- only Steve, who was so intimately familiar with how deeply the evil agency was rooted, had seen it as a possibility. But miraculously, Tony has gotten himself out of that cave, and suddenly Iron Man was HYDRA's new target. That small but powerful arc reactor keeping Tony alive would serve them nicely. Yet despite their efforts, no one was able to replicate the energy source, not even their people in Hammer Industries had succeeded. Stane blew his cover and took the reactor straight out of Tony's chest, but he had been killed, and the arc reactor destroyed, before he delivered it to HYDRA.

Their next move was to manipulate Ivan Vanko, who was so conveniently located right on their doorstep and already loathed all things Stark, into creating a replica. Vanko, so full of hatred, had instead used the materials he procured from HYDRA to make himself a suit that could outmatch Iron Man. It took them hardly any effort at all to ensure Hammer's interest in Vanko's knowledge and get the ignorant man to fund HYDRA's next project. But Tony surprised them again, by creating a new element, one so rare and so supremely powerful that HYDRA had switched tactics all together. Yes, they were still after Tony's vibranium-core arc reactor, but now they could see something even more valuable in front of them: Tony Stark himself.

* * *

Someone was shaking him roughly.

"Steve?" Tony murmured.

He felt himself being roughly dragged up by strong arms and he groaned, opening one eye to glare at Steve and to tell him to put Tony back down, thank you very much, except:

"You're not Steve."

Oh shit.


End file.
